Written Answers Monday 16 August 2010

Scottish Executive

Cancer

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether national guidelines will be developed on the management of lymphoedema following breast cancer treatment.

Nicola Sturgeon: There are existing SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) Guidelines which cover certain aspects of the treatment and management of lymphoedema. These include Guidelines on the Management of Breast Cancer (No. 84). NHS boards are expected to implement these guidelines through local protocols.

  There are no current plans to develop a specific guideline on the management of lymphoedema following breast cancer treatment. However, revision of SIGN Guideline 84 will begin in this financial year. The next date for consideration of submissions for new guidelines is anticipated to be 1 April 2011, and would be subject to the SIGN selection process.

Cancer

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that all patients experiencing lymphoedema after breast cancer treatment have equal access to appropriate treatments.

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that all patients experiencing lymphoedema after breast cancer treatment have access to compression garments where clinically appropriate.

Nicola Sturgeon: SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network), has produced Guidelines on the Management of Breast Cancer (No. 84), which cover certain aspects of the treatment and management of lymphoedema. NHS boards are expected to implement these guidelines consistently, and therefore equitably through local protocols.

  The Scottish Government recognises that a comprehensive picture of lymphoedema services would contribute to the improvement of care. The Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee (SMASAC), has agreed to set up a short-life working group to conduct a scoping exercise of lymphoedema services across Scotland.

  In addition, the Scottish Government Health Directorates are represented on the Joint Lymphoedema Working Group, set up by the voluntary sector, to look at how to develop a best model of service and best model of care for people with lymphoedema, including self management, with the overarching aim of contributing to achieving a high quality, equitable service to meet the needs of people with or at risk of lymphoedema.

  The Delivery Framework for Adult Rehabilitation sets out an approach to supporting adults with any injury or illness, including cancer, to return to full and active lives or to maintain their quality of life wherever possible, including through equitable access to rehabilitation treatment and services.

  It is however, for NHS boards to assess the level of need locally and provide services accordingly, in relation to cancer rehabilitation.

Cancer

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to collate figures regarding the number of people who develop lymphoedema, particularly following breast cancer treatment.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government recognises the concerns expressed around the need for more, and better, data about people who have developed lymphoedema following breast cancer. A study of Edinburgh Breast Unit patients with lymphoedema being undertaken by Queen Margaret University is nearing completion, and this is expected to yield some insights about incidence. The Scottish Government will be taking a keen interest in the study’s findings once they are published.

  In addition, the Scottish Government Health Directorates are represented on the Joint Lymphoedema Working Group involving the voluntary sector, which is looking at various aspects of lymphoedema. The group will be looking at the issue of data collection and the Scottish Government will consider its recommendations when they are published.

Energy

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many combined heat and power plants have been established in Scotland in each year since 2003-04.

Jim Mather: There is currently not a central list of how many combined heat and power plants have been established in Scotland since 2003-04. Collation of this information is planned as part of the actions included in the Energy Efficiency Action Plan due to be published in the autumn. We plan to obtain better data from SEPA on planning and waste management issues with regards to CHP.

  However, we have obtained the following information from the Department of Climate Change from data they hold. This provides information on the total number of installations in each year from 2003. It should be noted that where reductions or increases year on year occur this is an aggregate total of schemes opening and closing through the year.

  CHP Schemes in Scotland

  

 
Number


2008
83


2007
81


2006
75


2005
76


2004
84


2003
87

Enterprise

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has requested that Lloyds Banking Group or the Royal Bank of Scotland publish their small business lending levels for Scotland.

Jim Mather: We actively monitor credit conditions in Scotland through our Access to Finance surveys, which shows levels of demand and supply of finance (including rejection rates) and the costs of new finance to small businesses in Scotland for all key Banks, including Lloyds Banking Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland. These surveys highlight the situation in Scotland, as currently the published data on lending levels is only available at the UK level.

  We welcome the commitment of the current UK Government to disclose regional lending data and we are in discussions with the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills regarding this matter and also with the Banking industry in Scotland through our regular industry (FiSAB) meetings about this issue.

Epilepsy

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current transition arrangements are in Fife for transferring young people with epilepsy to adult services for neurological care.

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of proposals by NHS Fife to develop local epilepsy transition services.

Nicola Sturgeon: There is a close working relationship between the paediatricians and neurologists in NHS Fife and transitions arrangements are supported by an Epilepsy Specialist Nurse (ESN) and an epilepsy fieldworker. NHS Fife has no plans to introduce a transition clinic for people with epilepsy in the immediate future.

  The Scottish Paediatric Network (SPEN) has however, developed a transition care process for young people with epilepsy. SPEN is currently considering how the transition process can be taken forward within NHS boards.

  There will be some young people with epilepsy where although the condition is not their primary diagnosis, their other health care needs will mean that they will be cared for by the National Managed Clinical Network (NMCN) for children with exceptional healthcare needs. The NMCN is looking specifically at the transition arrangements for young people with complex needs, to ensure adequate and appropriate provision is made.

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive in what circumstances being subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 would lead to an organisation being classified as public for national accounting purposes.

Bruce Crawford: The classifications of organisations as public under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and for the UK National Accounts are determined separately.

  The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 provides a definition of a "Scottish public authority" as:

  (a) any body which, any other person who, or the holder of any office which –

  (i) is listed in schedule 1, or

  (ii) is designated by order under section 5(1), or

  (b) a publicly-owned company, as defined by section 6.

  The United Kingdom National Accounts adopts the broad framework and principles for deciding classifications determined by the European System of Accounts 1995 (ESA95). It is a legal requirement of European Union countries to compile statistical returns on the basis of ESA95. The UK National Accounts are produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on this basis. The ONS is the final arbiter of National Accounts classification decisions in the UK.

Health

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how the role of clinical nurse specialists will change as a result of proposals in the Consultation on the terms of the tenders to be issued for the provision of stoma appliances to NHS Scotland for the period 2010-12.

Nicola Sturgeon: We do not envisage any changes in the role of clinical nurse specialists (CNS) as a result of proposals in the Consultation on the terms of the tenders to be issued for the provision of stoma appliances as CNS staff are employed directly by NHS boards, who agree their individual workplans.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the purchase price and planned cost per unit was for the 41 housing sites acquired by Registered Social Landlords (RSL) that required support in 2009-10 under the Affordable Housing Investment Programme, broken down by RSL.

Nicola Sturgeon: The purchase price per planned unit for the 41 sites acquired by Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) that required support in 2009-10 under the Affordable Housing Investment Programme (AHIP), broken down by RSL are detailed in the following table. The planned cost per unit is not available for all sites due to development of these sites being future dated. Publication of estimated costs where available may prejudice the tender process and can therefore not be shared at this time. Information supplied, therefore, relates to total costs of units which have reached tender approval. Those projects which have not reached tender approval are marked not available - "n/a".

  

RSL  
Planned Units at Purchase
Purchase Price
£
Cost for Land Per Planned Unit £
Total Cost per Unit at Tender Approval £


Rural Stirling
60
530,000
8,833
n/a


Rural Stirling
6
35,000
5,833
146,139


Rural Stirling
14
130,369
9,312
123,520


Eildon
18
450,000
25,000
n/a


Kingdom
28
0
0
86,430


Kingdom
8
140,000
17,500
149,346


Dunedin Canmore
8
190,000
23,750
129,140



  

RSL 
Planned Units at Purchase
Purchase Price  
£
Cost for Land Per Planned Unit £
Total Cost per Unit at Tender Approva l£


Dunedin Canmore
8
200,000
25,000
120,819


Dunedin Canmore
5
125,000
25,000
121,609


East Lothian HA
11
232,526
21,139
125,980


East Lothian HA
28
560,000
20,000
123,069


Castle Rock
30
130,000
4,333
n/a


Dunedin Canmore
36
400,000
11,111
n/a


Dunedin Canmore
12
202,600
16,883
n/a


Port of Leith
15
265,000
17,667
115,654


Viewpoint
32
560,000
17,500
119,055


Hillcrest
49
636,250
12,985
126,719


Hillcrest
42
613,750
14,613
135,467


Cairn
8
160,000
20,000
116,661


Cairn
18
286,000
15,889
n/a


Orkney
2
28,000
14,000
217,164


Hjaltland
2
13,500
6,750
n/a


Hebridean Housing Partnership
18
95,000
5,278
125,958


Hebridean Housing Partnership
28
250,000
8,929
n/a



  

RSL  
Planned Units at Purchase
Purchase Price  
£
Cost for Land Per Planned Unit £
Total Cost per Unit at Tender Approval £


Castle Rock Edinvar
37
49,634
1,341
n/a


Castle Rock Edinvar
6
5,368
895
n/a


Clyde Valley
99
2,500,001
25,253
128,463


Clyde Valley
34
775,000
22,794
130,458


Clyde Valley 
31
500,000
16,129
n/a


Loreburn
22
330,000
15,000
131,941


Loreburn
11
66,000
6,000
143,450


Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership
16
320,530
20,033
137,720


Maryhill
52
140,000
2,692
129,535


North Glasgow
72
937,866
13,026
n/a


Maryhill
25
70,000
2,800
173,726


Thenew
18
232,500
12,917
n/a


Thenew
18
195,000
10,833
174,116


Whiteinch & Scotstoun
15
127,000
8,467
122,841


Hanover HA
16
195,000
12,188
122,947


Williamsburgh HA
60
435,000
7,250
120,331


Dalmuir Park HA
16
417,500
26,094
n/a


Total
1,034
£13,529,394
£13,085
 



  Total costs can vary due to a number of factors including the quality of site conditions, location, size and type of housing being constructed.

NHS Expenditure

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the expenditure on staffing costs in NHS Tayside was in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Tayside’s expenditure on staffing costs was £420.587 million in 2008-09 and £435.043 million in 2009-10.

NHS Expenditure

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the expenditure on hospital drugs in NHS Tayside was in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Tayside spent £22.378 million on hospital drugs in 2008-09; information is not yet available for the 2009-10 expenditure.

NHS Staff

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive in what categories of occupation in the NHS are staff permitted to hold a second job outside the NHS.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS employees have to observe the highest possible standards in both their professional and personal lives.

  All NHSScotland boards have in place a Code of Corporate Governance/Standards of Business Conduct or a similar document that specifies requirements relating to employment outside the NHS for all members of staff, regardless of occupation.

  All staff in NHSScotland are permitted to hold secondary employment provided they abide by these requirements and ensure that they do not breach European Working Time Regulations.

Older People

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many and (b) what proportion of patients aged 75 and over were readmitted as emergencies within 28 days of discharge in each quarter of the last two years in each NHS board area.

Nicola Sturgeon: The following tables show the 28-day hospital emergency readmission numbers and rates for patients aged 75 and over in each quarter of the last two years, broken down by NHS board of residence.

  Table 1: Number of hospital emergency readmissions within 28 days of discharge for patients aged 75 and over, by NHS board of residence; quarterly figures for January 2008 to December 2009P:

  

Number of emergency readmissions within 28 days
March 2008
June 2008
September 2008
December 2008
March 2009
June 2009P
September 2009P
December 2009P


NHS Ayrshire and Arran
478
547
485
489
510
531
491
612


NHS Borders
149
158
152
154
174
153
174
177


NHS Dumfries and Galloway
171
188
183
210
207
204
201
228


NHS Fife
394
363
347
398
402
357
406
431


NHS Forth Valley 
213
212
218
239
204
245
235
285


NHS Grampian
545
500
473
517
511
585
560
605


NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
1,522
1,608
1,565
1,695
1,551
1,498
1,597
1,848


NHS Highland
356
400
438
427
414
377
431
441


NHS Lanarkshire
548
592
606
664
668
639
676
679


NHS Lothian
868
869
833
856
854
862
905
956


NHS Orkney Islands
32
20
26
23
25
28
24
16


NHS Shetland Islands
12
24
20
32
14
17
18
24


NHS Tayside
438
464
462
503
478
488
410
510


NHS Western Isles
49
39
42
49
45
41
37
42


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


All Scotland
5,775
5,984
5,850
6,256
6,057
6,025
6,165
6,854



  Table 2: Hospital emergency readmissions within 28 days of discharge as a percentage of all discharges for patients aged 75 and over, by NHS board of residence; quarterly figures for January 2008 to December 2009P:

  

Emergency readmissions as a percentage of all discharges
March 2008
June 2008
September 2008
December 2008
March 2009
June 2009P
September 2009P
December 2009P


NHS Ayrshire and Arran
9.6%
10.5%
9.5%
9.4%
9.5%
10.3%
9.4%
10.9%


NHS Borders
10.3%
11.1%
10.7%
10.8%
12.0%
10.5%
12.2%
11.3%


NHS Dumfries and Galloway
8.1%
9.1%
8.8%
9.7%
9.8%
9.3%
9.4%
10.0%


NHS Fife
10.0%
8.9%
8.8%
9.4%
10.0%
9.0%
9.9%
9.9%


NHS Forth Valley 
9.1%
8.8%
9.4%
9.7%
8.4%
10.0%
9.8%
10.8%


NHS Grampian
11.6%
10.0%
9.6%
9.9%
9.3%
10.6%
10.0%
10.6%


NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
10.4%
10.7%
10.3%
10.9%
10.3%
10.1%
10.6%
11.2%


NHS Highland
8.8%
9.4%
10.6%
9.9%
9.6%
8.9%
10.1%
9.5%


NHS Lanarkshire
8.7%
9.2%
9.8%
10.0%
10.2%
10.0%
10.2%
10.6%


NHS Lothian
11.4%
11.1%
11.2%
10.8%
11.3%
11.5%
11.9%
11.3%


NHS Orkney Islands
10.3%
5.8%
7.8%
6.5%
7.4%
9.4%
9.1%
5.7%


NHS Shetland Islands
5.4%
10.1%
10.2%
13.4%
6.6%
8.0%
8.6%
10.8%


NHS Tayside
10.2%
11.0%
11.1%
11.4%
11.2%
11.6%
10.0%
11.2%


NHS Western Isles
11.3%
8.4%
8.2%
10.7%
8.7%
8.1%
7.7%
8.6%


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


All Scotland
10.1%
10.2%
10.1%
10.3%
10.2%
10.2%
10.4%
10.8%



  PData for quarters ending June 2009, September 2009 and December 2009 are provisional,

  Source: ISD Scotland,

  Notes:

  The basic unit of analysis for these figures is a continuous stay in hospital. Probability matching methods have been used to link together individual SMR01 hospital episodes for each patient, thereby creating "linked" patient histories. Within these patient histories, SMR01 episodes are grouped according to whether they form part of a continuous spell of treatment (whether or not this involves transfer between hospitals or even NHS boards).

  All discharges (defined as a continuous stay in hospital), which meet the selection criteria, are included in the analysis. Each discharge is then compared with the next admission to hospital for the same patient. If this subsequent admission occurs within 28 days of the date of discharge for the previous hospital stay and is coded as an emergency admission, it is selected as a relevant readmission.

Renewable Energy

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the potential increase in greenhouse gas emissions due to the cancellation of the Energy Saving Scotland home renewables grant scheme and what the outcome was.

Jim Mather: The Energy Saving Scotland home renewables grant scheme has been very successful in stimulating the market for microgeneration technologies and helping over 4,000 householders to generate their own energy. Continued high demand led to an extra allocation in 2010-11 of £1.5 million.

  This scheme has not been cancelled. It was a demand-led scheme and all available funding has now been fully allocated. Therefore, as there has been no reduction to the original proposed programme, there will be potential increase in greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, due to the additional funding allocated to the programme the reduction in green house gas emissions will be more than would have been achieved with the original budget. The latest estimate for emissions reductions by the scheme is 140,052.3 lifetime tonnes of CO2.

Renewable Energy

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support (a) it and (b) its agencies have given to offshore wind technologies and their deployment in each year since 2006-07.

Jim Mather: The following table outlines Scottish Government’s and Scottish Enterprise’s financial support given to offshore wind technologies and their deployment since 2006-07. Please note the question has been interpreted as actual spend rather than committed, additional offers have been made to companies but the offers are still to be drawn down.

  

 
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11


Scottish Government
2,539,336
 
200,000
1,260,663
1,645,000


Scottish Enterprise
102,772
1,088,645
165,613
525,030
115,514


Total
2,642,108
1,088,645
365,613
1,785,693
1,760,514



  Combined Total: 7,642,573.

  Scottish Government also provides funding to the Carbon Trust to support its Offshore Wind Accelerator Programme, in 2010-11 the Scottish Government has committed £49,000 towards the project.

Renewable Energy

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support (a) it and (b) its agencies have given to wave and tidal technologies and their deployment in each year since 2006-07.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government awarded research and development grants to marine projects and developers in February 2007, under the Wave and Tidal Energy Scheme (WATES). Payments under the scheme have been as follows (based on financial years):

  

2007-08:
£1,204,355


2008-09:
£573,752


2009-10:
£888,462


Total:
£2,666,569



  Some WATES projects are still being developed so further funds are still to be released.

  In addition to this, the Scottish Government has also released over £2.5 million during the last two years to help develop the infrastructure needed to accommodate WATES projects located at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.

  Scottish Enterprise has also provided financial support for a variety of projects and development of the Marine Energy sector as follows:

  

2006-07:
£125,000


2007-08:
£234,000


2008-09:
£1,689,752


2009-10
£2,177,260


Total:
£4,226,012



  On 6 July this year, the Scottish Government announced £13 million of support to five marine energy projects through the Wave And Tidal Energy: Research, Development and Demonstration Support (WATERS) scheme.